Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in Systems at Major European Airports, Causing Delays
LONDON – technical issues stemming from aโค cyberattack on a third-party provider are causing disruptions to check-in adn โขboarding systems at multipleโ European airports, including London Heathrow, on Friday.โฃ Passengers are facing โฃpotential delays as airlines scramble to mitigate the impact of the outage.
The attack highlights the growing โvulnerability of criticalโ infrastructure to cyber threats โand underscores the interconnectedness of the aviation industry. While the full extent of the disruption and the number of airports affected remain โunclear, the incident raises concernsโข about โขpotential cascading effects on travel across the continent. Authorities are working toโ restore systems and investigate โขthe source of the attack, โฃwith initial reports indicating a focus on providers supporting airlineโข operations.
Heathrow Airport confirmed the issue, stating a โขthird-party provider experienced a technical problem with check-in and boarding systems for severalโ airlines. โTheโข airport is working with the provider to resolve the issueโ “as quickly as possible.” It is currently unknown which other European airports are impacted.
The incidentโข follows a series โof recent cyberattacks targetingโ European institutions, including a recent โattack on Berlin’s judiciary โขandโ reported cyberspionage attempts against Berlin’s justice senator, attributed to Iranian-linkedโ hackers known as “Charming Kitten.” These attacks have prompted increased scrutiny of IT security measures andโข calls for greater preparedness โฃacross critical sectors.
(with dpa)